Dear Debbie, I have to thank you for everything you have done for our son. I am astonished and completely impressed at all the progress he has made in the two months he had been with you. I have new hope for the future of my family. I could barely recognize the boy who stood before us yesterday. He was able to be grounded and real and honest about his emotions and his fears and apologize to his brother for wh[..]
As an adopted father of two twin RAD (reactive attachment disorder) children from the Virginia system, and a father of five overall, I have had to overcome many obstacles in order to keep my household running smoothly and effectively. Like many parents who experience the high's and low's of adoption through the foster care system, we have been riding the "RAD roller-coaster" of life since our adoption was finalized i[..]
We adopted our son from Russia 15 years ago, at age 13 months. We began attachment Therapy when he was six, along with Sensory Integration Therapy. We made significant progress, however, when he was 9 his behavior at home began to disintegrate. He was becoming out of control and despite our every attempt at creating great structure, the situation was getting worse. We began to fear that his future lay in a juvenile d[..]
Thank you from a mother who adopted a child from a family that had disturbed their adoption Debbie I have to tell you that today I heard about the student with some severe behavioral problems I immediately thought she was rad. And I was then filled with such gratitude for you, because if you put my son in the same box as this girl people would completely question that they had the same thing. I just want to say t[..]
Dear Adoptive Parents, My name is Lee and I am the mother of two children.One of them, our youngest, my daughter, was adopted from Russia.It was my dream to adopt since the young age of 10.It took a lot of persuading to get my husband to agree, but finally in 2005 when we brought home 13 month old Elena; my dream was a reality.She was so young that nothing could possible go wrong - or be wrong with her.Or so we th[..]
I am writing in response to your recent e-mail regarding Noah Palmer. After speaking with Christy Palmer, Noah's mother, she has reported that Noah's behaviors and her new way of parenting is working well for their family. Noah is responding with calmer responses, working on expressing his feelings frequently as well as feeling better bonded with his mother. Mrs. Palmer has been diligently implementing the new strate[..]
When I was younger, I wasn't living a very safe life. My Birth Mother kept me around any and all dangers, especially sexual predators. I was raped numerous times by 5 different men. Starting from when I was 3 years old until I was about 11-12 years old. It seemed like every time the guy had the same mentality, they would threaten me and hurt me so that I wouldn't tell anyone. Some of the guys would tell me that my mo[..]
Hey Mrs. Debbie!!! I wanted to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for everything! And that you will always have a special place in my heart! I still remember the first day I was dropped off ? I remember I was crying but I realized it wasn't about them, it was about, being abandoned again. But you were my savior, you helped me realize the person I truly was!! I know I was a handful lol ? I admire the love and patience you showe[..]
I used to steal candy a lot and manipulate my parents. I would hit my sisters and I would irritate my grandmother a lot. I would be fake with my dad all the time. When I live at home I had a lot of mad at my birth mother. I was mad at her for abandoning me. When I was told by my dad that the orphanage found me outside of the gates, I felt like I was not loved and wanted. When I got to Ms. Debbie's I started to forgiv[..]
Dear Ms. Debbie, Thank you Ms. Debbie for forgiving me for the bad things that I did to you in the passed. I used to be so mad and scared. I remember aways pushing you and my mom away. I was so scared to let you love me. All the times I stole your jewelry and took food behind your back and all the hateful things I used to say to you. I did so many things to make you mad. I had so many secrets back then that kept m[..]
Dear Mrs. Debbie, Thank you for helping me get better. I would not have a relationship if it were not for you . Thank you for all the things you did for me. Before came I did not want to come, but now I know why I should have come. I am really happy I came!! Love, [..]
I know it's hard to have R.A.D, both for the child and for the parents. I know because I had R.A.D. My name is Elena. I was adopted from Russia when I was just 13 months old. My mother new I had a problem when she saw me but she still took me in. I believe how I got R.A.D. was not being taken care of like I should have been when I was a baby. I was not given the love and care that a mother gives her new born bab[..]
Welcome to RadConnection.
Our Goal is to bring healing to families struggling with children having attachment issues.
We believe that proper professional help and training, along with communication and connection with other families that experience similar situations can make a huge impact.
Deborah Bobbitt Harris has been working in the field of attachment for over 20 years. She has provided services to well over 350 families throughout the United States.